Old World Garden

Eddie and I met through mutual friends while we were living in Manhattan. I am a financial analyst and he is a solutions architect. For our first date, Eddie chose a romantic Italian restaurant on the East Side. Over the next two years, we traveled many places. On a special vacation to Florence, Italy, Eddie proposed overlooking the Ponte Vecchio.

When choosing a venue, we loved the Old World feel of the Castle Hotel and Spa, from the elegant design to the beautifully landscaped grounds. This reminded us of the breathtaking castles in Ireland. We loved that the Castle offered space for a rehearsal dinner, ceremony, reception, after-party, and Sunday brunch. Our guests could stay at the venue or at one of the nearby hotels. Eddie and I worked with Mika Hori, executive director, and Cesar Calderon, director of sales and catering, to plan and customize our event. Mika and Cesar were even present on our wedding day, which meant a lot to us. The staff was very gracious, accommodating, and detail-oriented.

Our ceremony was held in the Castle’s Great Hall with our harpist, Margaret Sneddon, providing the music and Rabbi Jon Haddon officiating. Guests then headed to the Caramai ballroom for cocktail hour. Butlers passed delicious hors d’oeuvres, with fan-favorites including the coconut shrimp with pineapple salsa and the beef bite sliders with cheddar, bacon, and shallot relish. There was a cold station with an opulent vegetable platter and a hot station serving pappardelle with mushroom sauce. While enjoying appetizers, guests were entertained by Mod Society’s string trio.

Keeping with the Old World theme, we decorated the Grand Hall with candelabras and lush pink and white roses. Dinner started with a crab cake appetizer made with citrus jicama slaw and mango aioli. For the main entrée, guests chose either Atlantic salmon in a vin blanc sauce or black angus filet mignon in a bordelaise sauce. Vegan and vegetarian options were also available. For dessert, we served a red velvet wedding cake with vanilla buttercream filling and had a Viennese table with assorted mini cakes and pastries. The presentation was both beautiful and delicious. Our band set the stage with romantic uplighting, a photo booth, and a fabulous song selection that kept our guests dancing to all hours of the night.

Since the wedding, we have been in touch with the Castle Hotel and Spa. We even went back to celebrate our one-year anniversary, welcoming a baby boy the next week. Thank you so much to Mika, Cesar, and the whole staff for helping us create our dream wedding and thank you to our parents, family, and friends for their generous love and support.